With a push from dad, Illini forward Davis begins to meet expectations

Wednesday

Feb 25, 2009 at 12:01 AMFeb 25, 2009 at 5:24 AM

Illinois forward Mike Davis strolled into a jubilant locker room Sunday, slapping hands with teammates while celebrating not only a significant road victory but also a personal 22-point scoring spree against Ohio State. Davis enjoyed the spoils of a network TV interview before rejoining the Illini, and his first words showed he may finally be getting it.

John Supinie

Illinois forward Mike Davis strolled into a jubilant locker room Sunday, slapping hands with teammates while celebrating not only a significant road victory but also a personal 22-point scoring spree against Ohio State.

Davis enjoyed the spoils of a network TV interview before rejoining the Illini, and his first words showed he may finally be getting it.

"I still can't guard anybody,'' said Davis.

Instead of talking big, Davis provided some self-analysis, a hint that he might be turning the corner and listening to his coaches and his father, Steve, who want him to push through to the next level and reach his potential.

Thankfully for the Illini, Davis didn't listen less than two years ago to his father, who preferred that he attend prep school for one season. Davis chose to accept a late scholarship offer from Illinois, visiting campus and committing to the Illini less than two weeks before his freshman year began.

A suburban kid who misses the traffic and pace of life back home in Alexandria, Va., Davis didn't possess toughness on the court or drive to overcome life's obstacles while growing up. The 6-foot-9, 210-pounder has the natural gifts – the bounce and the wingspan, the soft shooting touch. Developing a perimeter shot, the ball-handling skills to allow him to drive and better defense would make the NBA less of a dream and more of a realistic career path.

"It seems like in the Midwest, you don't get the 6-9 athletic forward,'' Weber said. "It might be the strong 6-8 bulky guy. We haven't been able to get that. He gave us athleticism, shot blocking and rebounding. He has a nice touch. How good he can be will be determined by him. Does he want to put in the extra time in the gym?

"He has a very high ceiling. With our success in the Big Ten Tournament last year, we had a taste of success and helped us prepare for this year. Mike has a taste of success. Will he get in the gym, work on the triple threat, ball-handling and a pull-up jumper?''

Davis averages 11 points and ranks second in the Big Ten with 7.8 rebounds a game. He leads the league with seven double-doubles. Over the last six games, he averaged 13.3 points and 10 rebounds. After setting goals of 12 points and eight rebounds for this season, Mike Davis and Steve Davis are thinking big for next season.

"For sure,'' Steve Davis said. "I'm going to set a goal of winning the Big Ten title. Being (Big Ten) player of the year can come off that.''

When it comes to pushing Davis, the Illini coaching staff has an ally in Steve Davis, who spends his free time as a high school assistant coach and AAU coach. Let's just say he's not a soft touch.

Steve Davis called Weber earlier this season and said don't play his son if he doesn't play hard. That’s a departure from parents calling for more playing time for their kids, not less.

"I'm a little different in that perspective,'' Steve Davis said. "Life is hard. It's a tough world. It's not going to be easy. Work hard. I don't paint a rosy picture for him. It's not that way in real life. He gets the rosy picture from his mom.

"From little kids to high school, you always get a trophy. It's always win, win, win, win. It's hard for parents to hear truthful things about their child. (CBS announcer) Greg Anthony said Mike has a chance to be great. There's a lot of responsibility that comes with being great. Do you want to take on that kind of responsibility?''

Picture Mike Davis wincing, holding the phone away from his ear.

"He's growing up,'' his dad said. "He doesn't run away from the calls. He sits there and listens. He's gotten more mature in his reactions to my criticism.''

Said Mike Davis: "I'm his son, and I will listen to what he has to say. I understand it more now. I'm 20 years old. I wanted to test the waters before and didn't think he knew anything. I wanted to do it myself. Now I understand. He knows a lot, so I listen to him now.''

He didn't listen in the summer of 2007, when Steve Davis wanted his son to attend South Kent (Conn.) prep school, enjoy the recruiting process and perhaps end up in the ACC. Besides Illinois, Auburn was the only school offering a scholarship immediately.

If he had gone to prep school, "I probably wouldn't be here,'' Davis said. Maryland and Virginia were offering scholarships if he finished prep school. Other ACC, SEC and Big East schools were getting involved.

"My mom wanted me to do what I wanted to do,'' Davis said. "Dad wanted me to go to prep school. He said I shouldn't come here. I wasn't ready. I wasn't mature enough. It was my decision. It was my life. He told me to do what I wanted to do, so I came here.''

The Illini are glad he did. And they’re glad that dad’s along for the ride.